Congress alleges ‘massive’ coal scam by BJP govt

New Delhi, February 24

The Congress today accused the BJP government at the Centre of having committed a massive scam pertaining to the coal sector, causing huge losses to the exchequer to favour Prime Minister’s friends.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here today, party spokesperson and the Chairman, Media and Publicity (Communication Department), AICC, Pawan Khera asked the Modi government whether it would order an ED investigation into the scam.

Khera said the Modi government tweaked the coalmine allocation policy in 2015 claiming that it would make the process transparent and corruption-free. Later, the policy was withdrawn after making massive losses.

Khera said two BJP MPs RK Singh and Rajeev Chandrashekhar had questioned the new policy. The two MPs were later made ministers and they became quiet after that.

He asked why the Modi government ignored the allegations of gross malpractices, rigging and cartelisation by its own leaders. “Was it to benefit a select set of cronies and their shell companies, as highlighted by the CAG?” he said.

The Congress spokesperson asked why the Modi government brought in a new law and amended the existing mining laws, which left open a window of discretion in assigning coal mines to “crony friends”, particularly Adani.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh wrote that Modi government’s “White Paper” began with discussion of the alleged “Coalgate” scam in 2014, but the real scam was in the “anyay kaal” of the last 10 years, when the Modi government, despite warnings from its own leaders, handed over ready-to-use, highly profitable coal mines for a pittance to its “param-mitr and biggest chanda-giver”. “Coal auctions have been completely rigged for Adani’s benefit since 2014,” Ramesh wrote.

The poser

Why did the Modi government bring in a new law and amended the existing mining laws, which left open a window of discretion in assigning coal mines to ‘crony friends’, particularly Adani?